In Your Arms
by Black Oracle
Summary: ROTF 2009. Optimus Prime and Elita-One journey together through the Alaskan snow. Elita-One finds something very 'warming' about the Autobot leader. A short seasonal piece. Second half is up!
1. Chapter 1

It's been snowing heavily over here in my neck of the woods and so i felt like writing something 'snowy' and warming. This is a just a nice, short, cosy and romantic ficlet revolving around Prime and Elita, my little seasonal story for Xmas.

Again, like my previous fics, it's set in the movie universe, a few months after ROTF and after the events of my previous "I Rise, You Fall" & "Rising Sun" fics (there's references to my earlier fics here). I do hint at a potential future story idea i've had toward the end of this story.

Note that i'm assuming the purple Arcee bike is Elita-One here (going by the last report we've had about her yet-to-be-released toy).

I'll post this in 2 parts.

Transformers is the property of Hasbro and the movies, of Paramount and Dreamworks.

**In Your Arms - Part 1**

Orange, blue, purple, pink and white hues streaked across the dusk sky above them. The light of day was fading slowly but surely behind shadowy pine trees.

The strange white substance covered his metal toes. It crunched softly under his giant feet and crumbled into pieces, scattering like dust around his ankles. It was cold to the touch. A thin layer of it was sprinkled delicately over his large feet. The land around them was covered in a thick carpet of it.

The humans called it 'snow'.

It was falling in tiny glittering white drops from the sky. Little white gems. His data tracks told him it was simply frozen solidified water. But it appeared otherworldly. Cybertron had no such natural phenomena. It was an alien sight that reminded him once again how very far he was from home. And yet, he marvelled silently at the unfamiliar whiteness around him and his companion.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Optimus Prime looked down to his left side. Arcee's purple sister, Elita-One, was gazing around herself in wonder at the falling snow. Her small curved motorcycle body, a pristine purple with white lines, was positioned close to his ankle. She held out a slender three-fingered hand and watched the snow drop slowly into her palm. Optimus's royal blue optics studied her.

"Yes. Very beautiful."

Elita's gaze turned up to her leader. Her shimmering blue optics were glowing gently.

"Earth is full of beautiful things. I see why you wish to protect it."

"It is not just for its beauty, Elita. It is our duty to protect the freedom and lives of its sentient inhabitants from the Decepticons. That is the Autobot way."

Elita drew close to Optimus's large flame-decorated leg and placed her slender fingers on it, her gentle gaze never leaving her giant leader's face.

"I know, Optimus. We all know."

They held each other's brilliant blue gazes in a moment of silent connection, size difference no barrier between the giant and the small female Autobots. The falling snow seemed to whirl and wrap around them. Optimus then shifted abruptly away from Elita's contact with his leg and turned his head back to the journey ahead of them. He still sensed Elita's gaze upon him even as his left her.

"The snow is becoming heavy. We should continue ahead. There's still some distance to cover before we reach the meet-up point with our N.E.S.T. crew."

Optimus began walking, though not too quickly, aware of the need to match his speed with Elita's smaller form.

Elita's gaze dropped and she followed diligently beside her leader. The pair travelled in silence for a minute before Optimus spoke again.

"Do you feel uncomfortable without Arcee and Chromia?" Optimus asked without looking at Elita. "You normally work as a team. You are rarely apart for so long."

"We are a team, but that does not mean we cannot work apart," Elita replied, "My sisters were needed for the South Carolina mission. I could have gone with them, but someone needed to watch your back on this Alaska trip, Optimus. I volunteered."

Elita smiled somewhat shyly up at her leader. Optimus glanced down at her briefly, avoiding direct optic contact with her.

"I see," he acknowledged monotonously, "Thank you for your company, Elita."

"It wasn't just my idea anyway," Elita explained, "Ironhide insisted that you should have someone with you on future missions. After your last excursion on your own to the Tomb of the Primes in Egypt, needless to say we were all a little concerned for your wellbeing when Ironhide picked you up in deep stasis mode."

"I have been on solo missions many times before," Optimus stated with mild defensiveness. "I assure you, I am not often prone to falling into deep stasis on them."

Elita laughed lightly at this. Optimus found himself impulsively recording the song-like sound of her laughter to his memory.

"I am sure you are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself on most occasions, Optimus," Elita reassured, "You are leader of the Autobots for good reason. Just consider me minimal back-up in case of an emergency, and reassurance for your concerned weapons specialist."

Optimus could not help but smile a little to himself, but he refrained from making this obvious to his small female companion.

"You are right of course, Elita," he responded politely, optics locked ahead.

Elita looked up curiously at her leader. He was avoiding meeting her gaze directly again, she could tell. She had never seen Optimus Prime nervous in this way before, not even around other female bots. It was an intriguing sight. Elita could not help but feel a quiet exhilaration at the apparent fact that she of all females seemed to have such a profound effect on their illustrious leader.


	2. Chapter 2

And here's the other half. Just a litte more Optimus & Elita romance to warm your wintery hearts! If you're feeling cold, i recommend hugging Optimus Prime! You'll read why...

The end of this chapter gives a hint at a possible future story idea i've had in mind. Just something to get your interest, readers!

Pheonix13, you're so full of naughty ideas! But this is just a short one-off-kinda Christmas treat story. I'm not intending on continuing after this second part. Besides, i'm not so good at romance writing really. I believe that's your department, missy!

Refracted Imagination and FlyingHope, i'm glad you find OP & Elita's interaction cute.

plenoptic, read on for why i titled this ficlet "In Your Arms"!

Thank you to those who have left reviews and in advance to those who leave reviews after this!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone!

**In Your Arms - Part 2**

For the following fifteen minutes, the pair said nothing to one another, listening only to the sounds of each other's feet and wheels pushing through the snow. Elita looked up once to admire the first stars of the darkening sky.

The snow begun to fall heavier around them as the minutes passed, the drops becoming larger in size. The wind picked up speed and ferocity. Optimus cast a sideways glance at his female companion. He noticed then that she was hugging herself in futile resistance to the falling temperatures. The single wheel of her leg was barely above the rising inches of snow, steadily being buried. It was obvious that she was slowing down under the freezing conditions. Still, Elita-One said nothing in complaint. A strong determination to battle on was evident in her expression.

Images of Elita's extensive damage from the Egypt battle five deca-cycles ago returned to Optimus's mind. It had taken around four mega-cycles after that before Elita and her sister Arcee were operational again. To say that Optimus had been worried during their repairs would be an understatement. They had been close to permanent deactivation. The Autobot leader had been silently praying for the best, but fearing the worst for his female warriors.

Optimus stopped and turned around to face Elita.

"Elita?" he called, concern apparent in his voice.

Elita raised her small face to his and presented a faint smile.

"I'm fine, Optimus. Just a little frost in the engines. Won't stop me."

Optimus knelt down in front of her, blocking the cold winds blowing against them with his immense back. He lowered his vibrant optics to her level.

"You are fearless, Elita."

"Elita-One knows no fear," she said softly with a defiant curl in her purple-tinted lips.

Optimus chuckled slightly.

"Even so, may I offer you some assistance?"

"Being chivalrous are we, Optimus? How very…Prime-like of you."

Optimus smiled in what seemed a rather dashing and gallant manner to Elita.

"That 'is' my title of descent."

He held out his large palm toward her.

"Very well, 'Prime'. I'll play female in need for you," Elita joked.

She moved with rigid grace to his waiting palm and sat herself down upon it, leaving her single wheeled leg hanging off the side. Optimus slowly raised his hand off the snowy ground and brought Elita to his broad chest. He watched her place her slim hands on the surface of his palm for support and balance. She slowly swished her dangling wheeled leg in the air to counter the coldness threatening to inhibit her mobility. At that moment, Optimus found her posture and movements to be strikingly reminiscent of a mythical half-woman, half-fish creature that the humans referred to as a 'mermaid'. But this was a Cybertronian mermaid with a wheel in place of fins at the end of her long 'tail'. Elita-One and her sisters were a unique design of female Autobots, possessing single wheeled legs rather than two.

Optimus raised his other hand to shield Elita from the heavy snow and wind lashing against them, protecting his beautiful Cybertronian mermaid from the harsh elements.

"Hold on tight, Elita," he whispered.

Elita pushed herself back securely into Optimus's large palms as he slowly stood back up. Optimus then pressed on through the heavy snow again.

Elita continued gazing up at her protective leader. Her optics fell over his blue helmeted head, studying in particular the etched symbols on the sides of his face, the symbols of the Primes. She was reminded that Optimus was the last of his ancestral race, a great and powerful dynasty. Optimus rarely spoke about his Prime lineage, even after the events of the battle in Egypt deca-cycles ago that proved beyond doubt he was the last of the fabled Primes. He left herself and the other Autobots very much in the dark about his feelings on the matter, though Elita thought she sensed a deep sadness within him about it. She would not question him though, he would speak if he needed to and when he was ready. She did not wish to press him unduly on the matter, though many of the other Autobots had been quite awed at the fact and had raised many questions in private about what it meant for their leader to be a true Prime descendent. They had spoken of legends of the great powers of the Primes, from foresight to teleportation to energy shields to telekinesis. Optimus was no longer just the leader of the Autobots, he had become their undisputed divine king, something Elita noticed Optimus seemed uncomfortable about. But why wouldn't he embrace his proud inheritance and claim to greatness? Elita knew of Optimus's upbringing in ignorance amongst normal Cybertronians by the wise old Autobot, Alpha Trion. Perhaps the Dynasty of Primes had truly died a long time ago. Maybe Optimus was a Prime in name only now.

Elita shivered slightly from the sub-zero temperatures. Optimus cast his radiant royal blue optics down on her. They seemed like twin miniature blue-white suns to Elita at that moment, shining a warming light down on her freezing body.

Elita then felt a strange warmth being emitted from her leader's chest area. Drawn to it, she tucked herself into the gap between Optimus's windowed chest panels and pressed herself onto the centre of his immense body. There was an unusual burning heat rising from within Optimus's spark chamber, radiating an intense warmth out from his chest and abdominal surfaces. Elita shut off her optics as she lay her head down gratefully on her leader's warming metal. The biting cold and snow and the darkness of nightfall around her suddenly seemed miles away as inexplicable visions of bright burning suns filled her offlined optics.

"You're so warm," she murmured dozily.

She was barely aware as Optimus's broad hands cradled her closer to his heated chest.

"Are you alright, Elita?" Optimus asked, his voice warm, deep and protective.

Elita-One believed for a moment that Optimus Prime possessed a burning white sun for a spark. Perhaps the power of the Primes lay deep within him, hidden, but always there.

"Yes," Elita breathed as she was lulled into near stasis from the Prime's intense warmth, "Now that I am in your arms."

Within, fiery blue-white veins of energy had begun spreading out from the spark chamber of the last Prime, gradually threading through his internal circuitry, unbeknownst to him and his blissfully content female companion. The white-hot energy sought to fill the body of the last Prime.

**End?**


End file.
